Beverage producing machines, in particular but not exclusively coffee preparing machines are known which use capsules, pods or cartridges containing a predetermined amount of ingredients for the preparation of the beverage. In particular, coffee preparing machines are known, which use capsules or cartridges made of aluminium foil, plastic or the like, containing coffee powder from which a coffee beverage is extracted by means of pressurised hot water. The capsules are introduced individually in a brewing unit. The brewing unit usually comprises a brewing chamber in which the capsule is introduced. The brewing chamber is closed and hot pressurised water flows through the capsule to extract the flavours from the ingredients contained therein.
Usually the capsules are not symmetrical with respect to a plane orthogonal to the axis of the brewing chamber. They often have a front face and a back face differing from one another. The capsules must be introduced in the brewing unit in a correctly oriented position.
In household machines the capsules are often introduced one at a time by the user when a brewing cycle has to be performed. In some machines, and in particular in vending machines, a capsule storage or container is provided, in which a certain amount of capsules is stored, allowing then several brewing cycles to be performed without the need for introducing a new capsule each time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,832 discloses a capsule feeding device for a brewing unit. The capsule feeding device comprises a capsule magazine in the form of a vertically extending tubular housing. A certain amount of pre-oriented capsules are arranged in the magazine such that they can be individually fed into the brewing unit when required.
Filling up the capsule magazine requires time, because the capsules must be introduced in a pre-determined oriented position. In vending machines a large amount of capsules must be charged in the magazine. This operation is time-consuming and therefore costly.
EP-A-1571951 discloses a capsule orienting and feeding apparatus which receives randomly oriented capsules from a magazine and properly orients the capsules individually such that the capsules can be fed in the properly oriented position towards a brewing unit arranged underneath the capsule orienting apparatus. This apparatus is particularly complex and expensive. The large number of mechanical components makes the device prone to failure.
US-A-2009/0250482 discloses a different automatic dispensing device for orienting capsules to be fed to a brewing unit. In this known device a container is provided, into which the capsules are randomly placed. The container rotates around an inclined axis and is provided with peripherally arranged slots. The slots are shaped such that capsules can fall through the slots only when they are properly oriented. The capsules exit the rotating container through the slots in the properly oriented position and fall into a channel from which they are fed to a brewing unit.
This known device, though simple, is not entirely reliable.